We explore the impact of Au doping on the charge transfer dynamics between the positively charged porphyrin (TMPyP) and negatively charged silver nanoclusters (Ag-29 NCs). Our transient absorption (TA) spectroscopic results demonstrate that the interfacial charge transfer, the intersystem crossing and the triplet state lifetime of porphyrin can be tuned by the doping of Au atoms in Ag-29 NCs. Additionally, we found that the electrostatic interaction between the negative charge of the cluster and the positive charge on the TMPyP is the driving force that brings them close to each other for complex formation and subsequently facilitates the transfer process. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.